Rail joint



Dec. 30, 1924.

P. STELLA RAIL JOINT Filled March 10, 1924 Fwyzm/e Sie Mz, f

Patented Dec. Sil, 1924..

UNITED STATES PASQUALE STELLA, "Oli CHICAGO, ILLINO'IS, ASSIGNGR- OF ONE-HALF T0 CHARLES AMICO, OF CHCGO, 'LLNOIS.

RAIL JONT.

Application :tiled March 10, 1.924.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, Prisominn STELLA, a citizen of the United States, residing at 1012 Newberry Avenue, Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail Joints; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others s-killed in the art to which it apper- :tains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to rail joints, and among the objects thereof are to provide a rail joint wherein confronting or meeting ends of railway rails and the angle bars or iish plates may be secured together andin, place without the use of screw-threaded boltsr and nuts, and in which the rails are connected in a 4manner to hold them against lateral, tilting or vertical movement and to permit only such longitudinal movement as is required in the expansion and contraction of the rails, while also providing an eiiicient electric bond, the construction being such that the confronting ends of the rails may be connected after the rails have been brought into engagement, and likewise removed therefrom without necessitating the movement of the rails away from each other. By dispensing with the usual threaded bolts and nuts, likelihood of displacement or of the parts coming loose, is prevented, and accidents thereby avoided. Y

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel combinations and arrangements of parts as will be hereinafter more particularly set forth yand described.

In accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1, is a top plan view showing the confronting ends of two rails connected by the novel rail joint.

F ig. 2, is a cross-sectional View taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3, is a perspective view of a wedging member employed in connection with the joint.

Fig. 4, is a perspective view of a yoke member employed in connection with the joint and which embraces the angle bars and the wedge member, and

Fig. 5, is a perspective view of one of the angle bars.

Referring to the drawings in detail, in which like reference characters designate `Serial No. 698,197.

13 in suitable countcrsunk portions of the apertures to dispose the heads flush with the outer faces of the angle bars and provide a rigid attachment thereof. The studs 10 pass through spaced apertures 14 in the rails 6 and 7 and enter apertures 15 in the angle bars 8 and 9, which apertures 15 are disposed in spaced relation, preferably in alternate relation with respect to the studs 10 and apertures 12 which receive such studs.

The angle ybars or fish platesS and 9 are n securely held to opposite sides of the rails 6 and 7 so that the flanges 16 thereof, rest upon the base flanges 17 of the rails 6 and 7, by means of a yoke member 18 which is provided with a notch 19 in one side wall running transversely through its thickness immediately below the inner end 20, whilethe opposite inner` end 21 is wider than the inner end or face 20, that is, deeper from the top to bottom, and the notch correspondingly omitted. However, an inclined extension or a groove 22 is provided at the side beneath the end or face 21 of the yoke member 18, which continues in an outwardly and downwardly inclined direction from the bottom face 23. A lateral extension or projection 24 is provided at one side of the yoke member with its upper face flush with the bottom face 23, the purpose thereof being to engage the bottom face of the rail and prevent turning or tilting of the yoke and thus to retain it irmly in position when once disposed in place and fastened, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

A wedge member 25 is adapted to cooperate with the yoke member 18 and is tapered toward one end to provide an inclined or wedge face 26, and is provided at the base or bottom with a lateral extension 27 tapered at its widest end to provide an inclined or wedge surface 28. The lateral extension 27 provided at the lower edge of the wedge member 25, is provided with a plurality of spaced vertical apertures`29, preferably arranged in staggered relation as shown.

It will be noted that the notch 19 is adaptedto receive the lateral extension 2'7 of the wedge member 25, the purpose of which as.

r forming the flanges, will enter the inclined groove 22 in the yoke member 18, as more particularly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawf ings in dotted lines. The iish plates or angle bars, are then placed on opposite sides of the rail ends, the studs of the angle bars 8 and 9 entering the apertures 15 of the opposite angle bars or fish plates after passing through, the apertures 14 of the confronting rail ends of the rails. After the vfish plates or angle bars have been properly located and secured to opposite sides of the rails, the yoke member 18 is slid longitudinally over the rails and angle bars or fish plates, and the wedge member 25 is then 0 Iforced or driven in between one of the angle bars or fish plates and the yoke membe` 18 at the side which is spaced from the adjacent angle bar thus firmly binding together the several parts forming f the jointV and clamping means, in the manner shown in Fig. l of the drawings. It will be seen that the yoke member 18 and wedge member 25 are reversible for use on either side, without making right and left hand parts and that one is applied to each side of a connection v or rail joint as shown in Fig. 1. The wedges are driven in toward the abutting ends of the rails at the short side or end of each yoke member, this being facilitated by the l tapered formations by which the inclined o1- wedge faces 26 and the inclined or wedge surfaces 28 are provided, thus firmly holding the joints together. Extensions 2,4 receive the base of therail thereon and Valso prevent the yokes 18 from tilting or rocking when placed in position.

To prevent the wedge members from` becoming loose through vibration, the lateral extensions 27 thereof are provided with j a number of apertures 29V as heretofore de scribed, to receivey pins 30, which are driven into the nearest aperture to the face of the yoke member 18, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. This obviates any possibility4 of the wedge member becoming displacedand retains the joint intact. Thus thel railf ends are connected in a manner to hold the same against lateral, tilting or vertical movement without the use of screw- .threaded bolts` or nuts and yet in such a manner as to permit such longitudinal-move ments as required in the expansion and contraction of the rails. Furthermore, an elticient electric bond is provided and likelihood of dis-association ofthe parts of the tween two ties, as indicated at 31,while the Y yoke members and wedges-are' di-sposed'adjacent the longitudinai side faces of the ties` which are remote from said abutting or con fronting ends, so that the parts can be assembled very readily without inter-ference byl the ties. Furthermore, the joints provide the necessary stiffness and rigidity Vto, obviate sagging at the joints and will in a y great measure, eliminate the usual pounding from the passage of the rolling stock thereover. i

Having thus described my inventiomwhat Iclaim is: f v 1. An improved yoke -for securing fish plates to a rail in making arail joint, comprising a U-sh'aped yoke member havingthe inner face of one leg beveled and provided with a ynotch and the inner face of the other legy provided with a groove, and a lug'eX- tending flush with the inner face of the intermediate part on the side toward the bevel, whereby the driving of va wedge can-A not tilt the yoke. Y Y 2. A rail joint for rails including angley bars adapted to engage the base lianges of f the adjacent ends of rails which theyV ern-v brace, a yoke member adapted to clamp the angle bars against the rails said yoke member -having a transverse notch on one sidel and an inclined groove leading into the other side fromA the bottom face of the yoke, at the bight portion, lsaid yoke having Aan extension at one side flush with the bottom face and adapted to engage the basev of the rail when the yoke is slid overl the angle bars with one side engaging anl anglebar' and the other side spaced therefrom, anda wedge member tapered toward one end and having a bottom lateral extension also provided with a tapered portion to enter said space and engage the notch respectively whereby to tighten the yoke in position,

when driven between the spaced side of the yoke andthe adjacent angle bar, and means to prevent displacement of the wedge meml having spaced apertures to align with each other and the apertures in the rail webs, studs having reduced-'portions rivetedto certain apertures ofthe angle bars ander.` 4

tending through the apertures of the rail webs and into the apertures of the opposite angle bars, the anges of the angle bars resting upon the base flanges of the rails, yoke members having side portions, one side portion having' a notch spaced from its bottom face and the other side having an in clined groove extending downwardly and outwardly from a plane of the bottom face to permit engagement of the yoke members with the rails, said yoke members being adapted to be slid over the angle bars by accommodation of the flanges at one side in said grooves, with one side of each yoke l5 member engaging the adjacent side of the angle bar and the other side spaced from the adjacent side of the other angle bar, and wedge members inscrtible in said spaces and having lateral bottom extensions tapered in the direction of the wedges, and increasing in width toward the tapered ends thereof to enter the notches immediately above the base flanges of the adjacent angle bars, and adjustable means to retain the wedges in position with the parts in binding engagement at each side of abutting rail lnds by engagement with the yoke memers.

In testimony whereof I aix m signature.

PASQUALE TELLA. 

